Cliff Sinclair, inventor of the ZX Spectrum computer, dies at 81 – O Journal Económico

Yesterday, Sir Cliff Sinclair, inventor of the famous ZX Spectrum computer, died at the age of 81 from a long-term illness.

In the early 1970s, Sir Cliff Sinclair was responsible for inventing and marketing the first pocket calculator. In 1980 she launched her first low-cost personal computer, the ZX80.

In 1982 the ZX80 and later the ZX81 were released with Sir Clive Sinclair’s most successful product, the ZX Spectrum, first with 16KB of memory and then a later version with 48KB. This was also a low-cost computer, a rubber keyboard, the data holder was audio tapes (like the previous ones), but, unlike previous models, it was already able to reproduce images in color. The ZX Spectrum has sold more than 5 million units worldwide, and for many it was a gateway to the world of computing and computers.

The success of Spectrum and games like Manic Miner, Chuckie Egg, Jet Pac, Lords of Midnight, Knight Lore and Elite also helped create a digital home entertainment market, which at the time was in its infancy with several brands launching home computers that were cheaper than used ones. in business.

Sinclair was knighted in 1983 and after the success with the ZX Spectrum, she decided to build other types of products, such as the Sinclair TV80 pocket television and the Sinclair C5 personal electric car. However, no other product will be as commercially successful as what Spectrum offers.

Speaking to The Guardian, his daughter Belinda said: “What was exciting for him were the ideas and the challenge. He could have an idea and say it’s not worth asking if anyone wants it, because other people can’t imagine it.”